Shloka 8

Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच शृणु कौरव्य यो दण्डो व्यवहारो यथा च स: । यस्मिन्‌ हि सर्वमायत्तं स दण्ड इह केवल:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca: śṛṇu kauravya yo daṇḍo vyavahāro yathā ca saḥ | yasmin hi sarvam āyattaṃ sa daṇḍa iha kevalaḥ ||

Translation

ພີສະມະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ຈົ່ງຟັງ, ໂອ ລູກຫຼານແຫ່ງກຸຣຸ. ຂ້າພະອົງຈະອະທິບາຍໃຫ້ເຈົ້າຮູ້ວ່າ ‘ດັນດະ’ ແທ້ໆແມ່ນຫຍັງ, ແລະເປັນແນວໃດທີ່ມັນຖືກເອີ້ນວ່າ ‘ວະຍະວະຫາຣະ’ (ການຈັດລະບຽບກິດການ, ຂັ້ນຕອນກົດໝາຍ, ແລະການບໍລິຫານໃນທາງປະຕິບັດ). ເພາະສິ່ງທີ່ທຸກຢ່າງໃນໂລກນີ້ພຶງພາອາໄສ—ນັ້ນແຫຼະແຕ່ຜູ້ດຽວທີ່ເອີ້ນວ່າ ‘ດັນດະ’ ຢູ່ນີ້, ເປັນພະລັງອັນເອກະທີ່ຄໍ້າຈຸນລະບຽບສັງຄົມ».

Word by Word

• {'śṛṇu': 'listen

• hear (imperative)', 'kauravya': 'O descendant of Kuru

• address to Yudhiṣṭhira', 'daṇḍaḥ': 'the rod

• royal authority that enforces law and order', 'vyavahāraḥ': 'worldly dealings

• practical governance', 'yathā': 'as

• in what manner', 'saḥ': 'that

• he/it', 'yasmin': 'in which

• upon which', 'hi': 'indeed

• for', 'sarvam': 'everything', 'āyattam': 'dependent

• subject to', 'iha': 'here

• in this world', 'kevalaḥ': 'alone

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Kauravya (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Daṇḍa
• Vyavahāra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that daṇḍa—coercive authority expressed as punishment and enforcement—is the indispensable foundation of orderly life; it is also closely tied to vyavahāra, the practical and legal administration through which justice is carried out.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship and peace, Bhishma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and begins explaining the nature of daṇḍa and how it functions as vyavahāra—i.e., the king’s system of governance and adjudication on which society depends.